Monday, April 28, 2008

Big Weekend, Tired Monday :)

Hi All! I'm happy to report that THAT DOG is doing much better. She had a seizure, which has happened before, but now she's okay. Have you noticed that everything is more scary when it happens at 4am? Anyway, she's back to full wiggly happiness now, so thank so much for your encouragement and prayers.

It was a crazy weekend, here in the Frog Tour zone! On Saturday, I was at the amazing Grub Street Writers Conference, The Muse and The Marketplace. What an elegant, fun gathering of folks who love writing. Per usual, I made a bit of a spectacle of myself: I walked into the room they had set aside for presenters to prepare our talks, and sat down at a table with another woman. "Hi, I'm Trish Ryan," I said, extending a hand. "Hi Trish," the woman responded, "I'm Anita Shreve."

I gawked. I stared. It was one of those moments you dearly hope you'll handle with grace and composure, and I blew it completely, blathering like a star-struck groupie at Rolling Stones concert. Still though, she was gracious and lovely and gave me great tips about going on a book tour. ("Zicam," she said. "You'll want to get some Zicam.")

After I pestered her to sign a book (I am SO set for Mother's Day) and she went off to greet her adoring fans, I gathered my thoughts for my own presentation. The official title was, "Memoir: Behind the Scenes," but what we really talked about was "How not to get sued when you're writing about your ex boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse."

After that, it was off to the airport to catch a flight to Ithaca, NY. My newest travel tip? Don't ever schedule a flight where the word "Dash" is the name of the aircraft. Imagine being air born in a Prius, only without the good feeling of knowing you're helping the environment (and with the terrible feeling that you might soon be PART of the environment in whole new way...)

Still though, it was worth it. I got to give the talk at the Vineyard Church of Ithaca, which was great, especially since when I walked in, the first thing I heard was two guys talking about the Red Sox and the Celtics...really, what could make a New Englander feel more at home in New York??? And what an amazing place to see spring finally bloom...now I understand those t-shirts that say "Ithaca: It's Gorges."

And finally, I came home to this amazing blog post by Larramie. It's like that old show, THIS IS YOUR LIFE! for my Frog Book.

I'm tired, my throat is achey and sore from so many fun conversations, and THAT DOG wants to go for a run in the rain...still, it's a great day here in Trishville :)